Elevation: 2554 m
Degree of Difficulty:
Moderate North and Middle Summit, Difficult South Summit
Time to Complete All Three Summits, Round Trip:
8-10 hours
Information:
Do the Hat Trick! Many people are satisfied trekking up to the easiest North summit, climbing the chimney and taking a few photos. But climbing all three peaks on this mountain, especially the breath-taking South summit, is a blast.
Where to Park:
Park at the Fireside Picnic Area off the Bow Valley Parkway near Banff Townsite. Consult a map for the Cory Pass Trail.
The Route (see photo below):
Follow the Cory Pass trail for 6 km and you eventually find yourself at a col which gives you an excellent view of Mount Louis. Head east (right) up a scree trail to attack the North Summit of Edith. You will find a steep chimney on the northwest side (see photo).
After you emerge from the chimney you can jump across a notch to gain the summit. This peak allows for some great views and great photo opportunities. Mount Louis is the massive limestone slab to your North. Rock climbers lust after Mount Louis.
Picture above was photographed looking up between the North and Middle Peaks of Mount Edith.
After hanging out on the North Peak, which incidentally is the highest of the three peaks on Mount Edith, it is time to move on to the Middle summit. You can either climb down the chimney or find an extremely narrow crack sloping down to the southwest. The middle peak is probably the easiest to attain, and it took me about a half an hour. Kane says you can do it in twenty minutes, but I suppose I stopped to "smell the roses".
Now comes the challenging part. If you look to the South Peak you'll wonder how the hell to do it without rope. But if you make your way down to the south col you will be able to spot a tunnel.
Crawl/climb up the tunnel to emerge on the exposed southwest side of Edith's South Peak. Remember: look for small cairns, stay safe, and weave your way along ledges until you find yourself between a slab on your right and the southsummit route on your left. You will have to climb up onto a huge rock wedged at this point. The rest of the way up is relatively easy. Congratulations! You've just scored the Mount Edith Hat Trick! Sign the cairn register for posterity and return through the tunnel and make your way directly down to the Cory Pass Trail.
